Cap de Formentor
Cap de Formentor (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈcab də formənˈto]) forms the eastern end of Majorca's Formentor peninsula. The Majorcans also call the cape the Meeting point of the winds.
Location
Cap de Formentor is a spectacular place, located on the northernmost point of the Balaeric Island Majorca in Spain. Its highest point, Fumart, is 384m above sea level. It has many associated bays, including Cala Fiquera, Cala Murta and Cala Pi de la Posada.
The 13.5 km road which runs from Port de Pollença to Cap de Formentor was built by the Italian engineer Antonio Parietti. He also constructed the snake road to Sa Calobra. Instead of being overwhelmed by what stood in his way on the cliffs, Parretti observed the Tramuntana winds and understood: where the slope was too steep, he made a curve. When he had to remove part of the cliffs, he placed the waste in other places where it was needed. The result was the two roads, which are nestled together in the mountains.
History
In 1863 the Formentor Lighthouse was opened, the remote and rugged location on the Cap de Formentor making construction difficult. The only access being from the sea or via a long mule track.[1]
When the poet Miquel i Llobera, who owned the Cap de Formentor peninsula, died, it was divided into lots and sold. In 1928 Adan Diehl, an Argentinian native and art lover, decided to build the Hotel Formentor.
Attractions
The headland has quite a few lookout points with spectacular views. The most well-known is Mirador del Mal Pas, also named Mirador d'es Colomer after the small island Colomer, the view from which can be seen in the picture above. The panorama from Majorca's Finisterre illuminates Menorca in the east, Cala Fiquera in the west, and Alcudia with its sandy beach in the south. However, the view of the cliffs below is not for sufferers of vertigo as sea roars 300m below and the winds on the headland can be vicious.
A German radio operator and pilot built a private weather station here in 1996, which transmits encoded radio transmissions to the base station 56 km away (via a beam radio). Data is then sent all over the world wirelessly. The analyses are used by hotels, organizers, sailing clubs, flying clubs, and others. They are freely available to anyone who has the necessary receiving equipment. The official weather department is located in Porto Pi, on the Palma de Mallorca harbour. It is responsible for international ships, air travel and other sites.
In the southeastern part by Racó de Xot there is a cave with an opening into the sea. It has two entrances located about 8m over the surface of the water. The cave has a length of 90 m and a height of 8 m and is one of the most important sources of information for the prehistoric talaiot culture.
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Old & New: An ancient donkeypath and the modern road
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The bays of Alcúdia and Pollença as seen from the lighthouse
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Punta de la Nao and road to the cape
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The old watchtower as seen from Punta de la Nao
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Formentor. |
Coordinates: 39°56′50″N 3°10′51″E / 39.94722°N 3.18083°E